Crack Comics: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox comic book title| <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->

|image = Crack Comics 1.jpg

|caption = ''Crack Comics'' #1 (May 1940), artwork probably by Ed Cronin.

|schedule = various

|format = Anthology

|publisher = [[Quality Comics]]

|genre = crime, superhero, humor

|startyr = 1940

|startmo = May

|endyr = 1949

|endmo = Sept.

|date = May 1940 – Sept. 1949

|issues = 62

|main_char_team = [[Clock (comics)|The Clock]], [[Black Condor]], [[Captain Triumph]], [[Spider (DC Comics)|Alias the Spider]], [[Madame Fatal]], [[Jane Arden (comics)|Jane Arden]], Molly the Model, [[Red Torpedo]]

|writers =

|artists = [[Alfred Andriola]], [[George Brenner]], [[Gill Fox]], [[Jack Cole (artist)|Jack Cole]], [[Paul Gustavson]], [[Klaus Nordling]], [[Art Pinajian]]

|pencillers =

|inkers =

|letterers =

|colorists =

|editors = Ed Cronin, John Beardsley, [[Gill Fox]], [[George Brenner]]

|creative_team_month =

|creative_team_year =

|creators =

}}

'''''Crack Comics''''' wasis an [[anthology]] [[comic book]] series published by [[Quality Comics]] during the [[Golden Age of Comic Books]].<ref name=Companion>{{cite book |last1=Koolman |first1=Mike |last2=Amash |first2=Jim |title=The Quality Companion |date=2011 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490373 |page=219}}</ref> It featured such characters as [[Clock (comics)|The Clock]], [[Black Condor]], [[Captain Triumph]], [[Spider (DC Comics)|Alias the Spider]], [[Madame Fatal]], [[Jane Arden (comics)|Jane Arden]], Molly the Model, and [[Red Torpedo]]. The title "crack" referred to "being at the top of one's form", like a "crack [[sharpshooter]]".<ref name="Steranko">[[Jim Steranko|Steranko, Jim]] (1972). ''The Steranko History of Comics 2''. Reading, Pennsylvania: Supergraphics. p. 92.</ref>

Notable contributors to ''Crack Comics'' included [[Alfred Andriola]], [[George Brenner]], [[Gill Fox]], [[Jack Cole (artist)|Jack Cole]], [[Paul Gustavson]], [[Klaus Nordling]], and [[Art Pinajian]].

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With issue #26 (Nov. 1942), at the height of [[World War II]], the title dropped down to a bi-monthly schedule due to wartime paper shortages; with issue #33 (Spring 1944) it became quarterly, also reducing its page-count to 60. It was around this time that publisher Arnold dropped Eisner & Iger as a "packager" and began producing much of the material in-house.<ref name="Steranko" /> The syndicated newspaper strip reprints "[[Jane Arden (comics)|Jane Arden]]" and "Ned Brant" disappeared during this period, as well as such recurring features as "[[Black Condor]]", "Don Q", and "Snappy".

Cartoonist [[George Brenner]] became editor of ''Crack Comics'' with issue #31 (Oct. 1943) (Cronin having left the post in Feb. 1942), a few issues before Brenner's character [[Clock (comics)|The Clock]] stopped appearing in the book's pages.<ref name="Clock">Markstein, Don. [http://www.toonopedia.com/clock.htm "The Clock"], {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120917173205/http://www.toonopedia.com/clock.htm |date=2012-09-17 }} Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 15, 2011.</ref> Beginning with issue #42 (May 1946) the title went back to a bimonthly schedule, which it maintained until its cancellation with issue #62 (during this time, the title also gradually reduced its page-count from 60 to 52 to 36). Brenner stayed on as editor almost to the end, leaving the post after issue #61 (July 1949).

=== ''Crack Western'' and ''Jonesy'' ===

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* '''[[Black Condor]]''': A mystery man with the power of flight, the character's adventures were originally written by [[Will Eisner]] and drawn by [[Lou Fine]].<ref>Markstein, Don. [http://www.toonopedia.com/blcondr1.htm "Black Condor"], Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 15, 2011.</ref> The Black Condor was the lead feature of ''Crack'' from issue #1–26, and a regular feature until issue #31 (Oct. 1943).

* '''Lee Preston of the Red Cross''': Newspaper strip reprints of Lee Preston, a heroic [[Red Cross]] nurse, and her friend Rick Royce, were a feature from issues #1–9 (Jan. 1941), when the strip was replaced by [[Paul Gustavson]]<nowiki>'</nowiki>s '''Tor the Magic Master'''. Jim Slade was a photojournalist whose superhero persona was a backward-speaking magician. This feature lasted from issue #10 (Feb. 1941) until issue #26 (Nov. 1942). Beginning with issue #27 (Jan. 1943), Tor's spot was taken by [[Alfred Andriola]]'s '''[[Captain Triumph]]'''. Stories of the merged twins (one alive, one dead) who formed the Golden Age superhero were a recurring item — mostly as the cover feature — through to ''Crack Comics'' final issue, #62.

* '''[[Alias the Spider]]''': [[Paul Gustavson]]'s crime-fighting bowman was a regular feature in ''Crack'' from issue #1–29 (May 1943), eventually replaced by Bernard Dibble's humor feature '''Beezy Bumble'''.<ref>Markstein, Don. [http://www.toonopedia.com/spider.htm "The Spider"] {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20240525201833/https://www.webcitation.org/66fqwEXex?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/spider.htm |date=20122024-0405-0425}} Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 15, 2011.</ref> Beezy lasted through the rest of ''Crack Comics''<nowiki>'</nowiki> run, ending with issue #62.

* '''Molly the Model''': Bernard Dibble's one-page humor strips were featured in every issue of ''Crack Comics'' from #1–62.

* '''Eric Vale''': Two-page text stories of the adventuresome pilot of a black plane were a regular feature, only missing a few issues, from #1–50 (Sept. 1947).

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==References==

* {{gcdb series|id=157|title=Crack Comics}}

* {{comicbookdb|type=title|id=21106|title=''Crack Comics''}}

== External links ==

* [http://www.herogoggles.com/Quality-Heroes.html Quality's Superheroes & Villains Encyclopedia]

* [httphttps://colescomics.blogspot.com/2010/08/slap-happy-pappy-selection.html "Slap Happy Pappy – A Selection,"], Cole's Comics

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